I would like to say thank you to all the four legged blood donors out there. They are doing important work - saving lives - and they don't get to volunteer for it! This point was brought home to me because I was pointed to a posting for a pair of 4.5 year old cats that have been blood donors since they were 8 months old. They are now retiring so if anyone is looking for pets that could match them for amount of gallons donated let me know. :-)

It'll be awhile before I give again - they won't take me while I'm breastfeeding. And I will be for quite awhile yet it seems! (does that count as a form of donation? Bodily fluids and all that?) But our organization is great and is really good at follow up calls, even years apart so not much chance of me forgetting! (even though I'm a slow bleed and sometimes I get an irritable person who gets annoyed at me. Grrrrrrr!)

I got the guys at work organised again and we donated yesterday. We only had 8 again as another round of colds at work has hit quite a few people. I did plasma for the second time and it went really well. The staff brought over a young girl to see the machine while I was hooked up and were explaining to her how it works as she was contemplating giving plasma. They asked if I minded them showing her and they said it was because I am a model donor I have found that I seem to recover from plasma better than whole blood - by lunch I was bouncing around the place, but whole blood makes me tired.

I've booked us in again in three months but will be trying to do plasma again before that.

I used to donate platelets, but unfortunately my count got too low to be of any use. I can still donate whole blood... on those infrequent occasions when I can bump my iron up high enough

I miss donating platelets. I got to see lots of movies that otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to go see, and I was pleasantly surprised at some of them. I'll never forget that weird sensation when they gave me the rest of my blood back, and that strange metallic/citrus taste I would get in my mouth while that was happening. Apparently it's not uncommon, but nobody could really explain why the human body reacts that way. Bizarre.

I was actually asked to donate platelets by the blood bank several years ago. They had someone come and talk to me and explain that my blood type is A+, which is the most prevalent and so the majority of whole blood submissions that they get are already my type. However, I'm CMV Negative. I have *no* idea what that means except that I don't have CMV antibodies (again - NO idea... sorry) and this is fairly rare in adults. The fact that I'm negative means that my blood can be used for babies and people who have suppressed immune systems (cancer patients, AIDS patients, etc.). Maybe another e-Hellion can fill in the blanks for me?

I try to go every month and get calls from the blood bank several times a year when I'm a match for someone in the hospital who needs surgery and will need to be transfused. Donating platelets takes longer (and, as Snooks and JennJenn pointed out, feels WEIRD) but you don't lose red cells the way you do with a whole blood donation so you're generally not as wiped out afterwards. I don't know if this is universal but you're eligible to donate platelets every three days or so. I also enjoy the downtime to sit and watch a movie and not feel compelled to be doing anything else.

This information from Amnemia.org has information on hemtocrit, how it relates to blood donation, and sections on how to raise hemotcrit and keep it up. They note that, in addition to low iron levels, low levels of Vitamin B12 can cause low hematocrit. Causes for Deferral

I will be donating on Monday. When I called and said "I'd like make an appointment for whole blood," the receptionist replied "that's music to my ears!"

Thanks for that info eclecticgrrl. Our blood bank has rung me after I donated plasma to say that I am a perfect candidate for platelets, but I don't know anyone who has done platelets before. When you say it was weird, what sort of weird? I'm A+ as well and I want to get a few more times of plasma before trying platelets but it sounds a little scarey.

Thanks for that info eclecticgrrl. Our blood bank has rung me after I donated plasma to say that I am a perfect candidate for platelets, but I don't know anyone who has done platelets before. When you say it was weird, what sort of weird? I'm A+ as well and I want to get a few more times of plasma before trying platelets but it sounds a little scarey.

Oh, don't worry, it's neither uncomfortable nor scary--it's just that it takes a long time (two hours, generally) and when they gave me the rest of my blood back with the citrate to make up for the removal of the platelets, I got a funny taste in my mouth. Not nasty, just weirdly metallic. And I tended to feel cold at that point, but they were ready for that and had heated blankets available. I'm A+, myself, and even though it's one of the most common types, they're always happy to get any kind of donation from me, when possible.

catgal - I didn't mean to scare you! I have the same reaction as JennJenn. I get a strange taste (not unpleasant, just odd) in my mouth and my lips sort of buzz. I get cold as well, about halfway through the donation, but they're always ready with heated blankets. Also, I have some attention issues so sitting still for 2 hours is a little tough on me but when I went a couple of weeks ago I took my KindleFire, downloaded a movie and when I got antsy, I could browse the Kindle. It was perfect for me.

The only other weird thing that happens for me is when the needle stick isn't quite right, there's a flutter in the vein on the return trip and that just makes me twitch.

I actually have been afraid to donate plasma because I thought it was a bigger needle and a harder thing to do so it's sort of cool to hear that plasma isn't such a big thing either.

JennJenn, isn't it weird that we feel bad when we can't donate? I also have problems with getting my iron levels up high enough to donate so about half the times I go to donate, I get bounced. eclecticGuy has started refusing to leave until after they do the initial evaluation because he got tired of getting called back when he was halfway home. But then I'm sad that I didn't do my part.

The funny taste, numbness, chills, etc. is caused by reaction to the citrate used as an anticoagulant. The citrate binds with calcium in your blood and that's what causes the symptoms.

One thing you can do is to chew on a calcium-based chewable antacid.

Here's information from the Red CRoss:

When I donate platelets, I sometimes feel a little tingling sensation. Why?The anticoagulant used in the apheresis donation process will temporarily bind with the calcium in your blood. As your body adjusts to this temporary binding, you may feel some tingling. Donors are highly encouraged to inform a staff person if this sensation occurs. Staff may adjust the equipment, and/or supply a calcium supplement to help ease the tingling. Additionally, increasing your calcium intake a day or two prior to donation may help you feel more comfortable.

*Try this: Eat a diet rich in calcium. Low fat dairy products are a great source of calcium. Enjoy your favorite yogurt or low fat cottage cheese. If you can spare the extra calories, why not indulge in a dish of ice cream or a milk shake?

Other sources of calcium are leafy green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach.

Many fruit drinks such as orange juice are enriched with calcium. Check the label next time you shop.